Storm on the Horizon
by Poet's Buried Memories in Type
Summary: Resources and supplies begin to go missing in the Naval district. Someone, or thing, has stolen enough supplies to sustain half the fleet for a month. Is this the work of the Abyssals? Or is this the work of a third party? And when the truth is revealed, how will it effect those involved? (Takes place after episode 5 of the series.)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Nagato approached the Docks swiftly with Mutsu right behind her. She hadn't visited this building for quite a while, considering she was the Secretary and the last time she sortied was a long time ago. The Docks were a place where Fleet Girls would go to get repaired should they be damaged while out on sortie. Nagato wasn't here for repairs though.

She was here because she had finally gotten the report much of the Naval District had been itching for. She could finally give the good news to the Admiral; the cause to most of the problems the Naval District had been experiencing had finally been captured, and brought to the base.

Nagato stepped into the building, only to see the Special Type Destroyer Fubuki standing outside the door. Fubuki was staring at the corner with a grievous expression on her face. It was clear to Nagato that Fubuki was uncomfortable with what was in the docks behind her. Nagato didn't know what to expect. All she had been told was that the cause of the base's problems had been caught. Do to this, Nagato had no clue as to what exactly Fubuki being nervous signified.

Fubuki noticed Nagato approaching and hastaly stood at attention. "Se-secretary Ship Nagato," she saluted. Nagato returned the salute and stepped forward.

"What's the situation?" she asked the staggered Destroyer.

"...eh, well~" Fubuki looked to the side, playing with her fingers. "It's probably better for you just to see for yourself."

Nagato raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, taken aback as Fubuki stepped aside to permit the battleship entry. She stepped forward and opened the door, scanning the room with her eyes until her vision found what she was apparently looking for. Her eyes widened at the figure sitting in one of the baths.

"What?" she whispered in mild confusion. Mutsu walked up beside her and looked for herself. Her reaction was mildy the same, with her eyes widened and her mouth agape.

"What are one of _them_ doing here?" she asked in bewilderment.

Nagato's expression stiffened. Then hardened. "Get Kongo here as soon as possible."

Mutsu nodded before turning around and began to race walk to find the energetic fast battleship.

Nagato turned back to the figure in the bath. She walked to the edge of the bath, and took a knee beside it facing the figure. "Who are you?" she asked. "And why the hell are one of _you_ on this side of the Pacific?"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

1 week earlier.

The dusky sky was patched with gray clouds above the Naval District. Despite this, and a light drizzle falling from the clouds, the weather was still rather balmy to Fubuki as she went about her morning jog. She took quick breaths as she continued her routine exercise in her raincoat. She had been up for an hour at least, wanting to get in some more training before the District awoke.

Hearing her stomach grumble, she slowed and changed course toward the District's Cafeteria for a snack. Breakfast would be served later, but it was still a few hours away. A simple snack wouldn't have any effect on their supplies.

As she approached the Cafeteria, she slowed further to a walk as she realized something was off. Mamiya and Nagato were talking to each other in front of the building. Mamiya had her hands folded to her chest with a worrying expression plastered on her face. Nagato just had a hard gaze with her arms crossed.

Mamiya was worried, Nagato was cross. A pit of dread settled itself in Fubuki's stomach as she recognized something was wrong, very wrong. She proceeded to walk up quietly with a concerned face. The two older feet girls noticed the destroyer approaching and turned to her.

"Secretary Ship Nagato, is something wrong?"

Nagato and Mamiya looked at each other again, they nodded in silent agreement before they turned back to her and Nagato said: "Someone is stealing supplies from the District."

Fubuki blinked in surprise. That was oftly blunt.

"What? Really? Who?"

"We don't know," Mamiya said. "At first we thought we had simply misplaced the supplies that went missing. Then I got suspicious so I put a high energy pack in a cupboard close to the door before going to bed. When I got here a half hour ago it was gone."

"That pack could have sustained a Bauxite expedition all on its own," Nagato lamented. "The worst part is that we have no clue who or why someone is taking these supplies."

"You think it's the Abyssals?" Fubuki asked.

"I wouldn't rule it out, but we don't have a lot to go off of," Nagato said quietly, crossing her arms again.

"Who else would it be?" Mamiya asked quietly.

"That's what has me concerned. If it is the Abyssals, they're acting out of character. This doesn't sound like something they would do, as it's a complete change in their tactics. If it isn't the Abyssals though, then who?" Nagato mused.

"What should we do?" Fubuki asked.

"For now, there's not much we can do. I need to write up a report to the admiral," Nagato said as she brought up a pair of fingers between her brow. "Don't tell anyone else about this for now. I'll inform the main unit flagships about what happened, and I'll have a Destroyer Group patrol this side of the coast tonight. Stand by though Fubuki, the group may need support should things get out of hand. Tell Mobile Unit 5 to standby for emergency deployment tonight, but spare them the details. The fewer who know about this for now the better."

"Yes ma'am," Fubuki said with a salute.

Who would be stealing supplies like this? Fubuki wondered as she resumed her jog. What's the point? Are the Abyssals trying to starve us or something? No. That doesn't sound like something they would normally do... Not from the inside like this.

What was going on now was radically different from the Abyssals' normal methods. They had never been this bold. Taking a more than noticable amount of supplies right under the noses of the District's personnel was something Fubuki had never heard of.

Who else would be stealing these supplies though...?

The next day.

After the Admiral had gotten Nagato's report, he decided that Mobile unit 5 would remain on standby until whoever was stealing supplies was dealt with. So here was Mobile Unit 5 and Destroyer Division 6, standing in the briefing room before Nagato as she read off the Admiral's orders. They had all been informed of their current predicament, and also had been told what was at stake if they didn't resolve the issue.

"At the rate our resources are being drained, we'll lose the ability to launch expeditions in just over a month. Who or whatever is stealing the supplies needs to be disposed of quickly. The quicker the better.

"This is where Destroyer Division 6 comes in. I know you're used to expeditions, but because we're short on resources the Admiral wants you to patrol close to the coast tonight. Mobile Unit 5 will also stand by for emergency deployment should DD6 fall under attack. That'll be all. Happy hunting."

"Yes ma'am!" the fleet solution with a shout of acknowledgement.

2 days later.

Inazuma yawned as Destroyer Division 6 continued with their patrol. Usually reserved for expeditions, they had to adjust to such a different schedule and workload. Today was the third day of their patrol and so far they had found nothing. All they did was patrol the south side of the District, and nothing had turned up.

It was beginning to get tiring for the Destroyers. They all were tired and bored from the patrol. All but 1 anyway. Hibiki held a quiet look of suspicion on her face.

"What's wrong Hibiki?" Inazuma asked when she noticed her sister's face. Hibiki turned to her with a puzzled expression.

"I don't really know. I just have this weird feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, but it almost feels like we're being watched."

"What does it feel like?" Inazuma pressed.

"I don't think she would say 'I'm not sure how to describe it' if she could Inazuma," Akatsuki cut in. "But you do have a point. A true lady must be able to express her emotions properly."

"I'm not sure if that really relates to this situation Akatsuki," Ikazuchi deadpanned.

"Why not? It's true. A proper lady should be able to describe her feelings simply and quickly."

"Don't fight you guys!" Inazuma cried waving her arms at the two.

Ikazuchi and Akatsuki both sighed and stopped before the argument could leave port.

"You're right Inazuma, it's not lady like to argue over something so petty," Akatsuki sighed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Inazuma," Ikazuchi said quietly. Quickly though, she came up with an offering of forgiveness. "Hey! Our patrol only lasts a few more hours. How about when we get back I wash your hair for you?"

Inazuma face lit up like a light bulb and she nodded her head sharply in agreement.

 _ **FOUSH**_

The 4 destroyers' snapped to alert as enormous column of water erupted around them. Immediate panic and confusion gripped each of them as they all screamed in fright.

"W-What was that?" Inazuma cried. It took a moment before someone managed to respond to her.

"It's an ambush!" Ikazuchi screamed, quickly turning to radio the district. "Mayday, mayday! This is Destroyer Group 6, we have fallen under enemy attack. Requesting immediate assistance!"


	3. Chapter 2

The buzz of airplane engines could be heard as 2 squadrends of Zeros launched from their carriers. The planes' orders were reconnaissance, to scout out the enemy as the fleet knew very little about its details or specifics.

"Recon planes launched," Zuikaku said as her and Kaga's planes flew off into the night sky and out of sight.

"Good," Fubuki ecnologed. "DD Group 6 are coming our way. I want to have a general idea of our enemy while we know it's still around. The destrier group hasn't spotted a single Abyssal yet so we have to assume it's a either a battleship or battlecruiser firing from beyond the horizon."

"If it's able to keep up with those DDs, the bugger's got to have some snug speed on it." Kongo informed. "More likely a battle cruiser. They've got good speed, big guns, but as Jutland proved, can't take a bloody hit from from a gun the same size."

Fubuki nodded. Kongo was built as a battle cruiser before she was converted to a fast battleship. If there was someone who could pick up on if the Abyssal was such a ship, it would have been her.

"So we're going under the impression that this is an Abyssal battle cruiser capable from firing beyond the horizon."

"Ok." "You got it," said Ooicchi and Kitakami respectively.

"We'll be able to get confirmation once our recon planes find it. They should be making contact soon," Kaga said looking toward the horizon.

"Yeah," Zuikaku. A few quiet moments pass before Kaga speaks up again.

"I'm getting a report now. My planes have made contact."

"I'm getting that too," Zuikaku said almost right after. "'Alone Abyssal warship sighted; moving fast. Ship class~'"

Zuikaku paused.

"'Ship class' what?" Fubuki asked the bewildered carrier.

"No idea, the trasmision cut off."

The fleet shared equal looks of confusion.

"It's the same thing on my end," a bewildered Kaga said. "Contact was made, an incomplete description given, then nothing."

"What does that mean?" Kongo asked quietly.

"Do you think your planes were shot down or something?" Kitakami asked curious.

"What?" Zuikaku asked. "No! What kind of battlecruiser can shoot down 5 fighter planes that quickly? Even if the planes are from Carrier Group 1, come on."

Kaga decided to ignore that last comment and interjected. "The only way that might happen, is if the ship itself either has a vast amount of AA capability, or if had some sort of air support via aircraft carrier."

"The report didn't say anything about planes," Zuikaku commented. "And the ship would still need to have who knows how much AA capabilities for that to work."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait for your planes to come back, if there are any left after they make contact that is."

...

Fubuki sighed as she stood quietly in the briefing room as Mobile Unit 5 and DD Group 6 short one ship were dismissed. One of Zuikaku's planes had almost made it back before it crashed into the ocean and sank. The others had vanished. One of Kaga's planes managed to land but it was so badly damaged it was no longer usable; the ferry pilot had been lucky to survive.

When they regrouped with DD Group 6, they immediately came under fire. The Abyssal definitely had large caliber guns. Kongo had taken 4 hits, 2 of which had done significant damage to her engines. One shot had hit Zuikaku but overpenetrated with minimal damage. One had hit Kaga at an angle and bounced off of her hull without damage. They continued coming under fire until they reached the District; being forced to retreat with no effective way to counter attack the Abyssal. Kongo had been sent to the docks to recover, and Zuikaku had sealed the hole without the need to get an overhaul.

Do to the carriers' scouts being eliminated almost instantly, Fubuki while out at sea decided against launching an air strike. However with only one battleship, who was damaged, there wasn't a lot they could do. The Abyssal was able to attack beyond the horizon, and appeared to have the ability to accurately place shots. At the same time, it was obvious that no visual contact was being made. Hibiki had finally made the connection as to why it was able to pull it off when she finally recognized the feeling she had. It was from when she was apart of the Soviet Union's navy, as all Soviet DDs were equipped with it.

The Abyssal could hit them without needing to see the fleet, by using radar.

If that were true, Fubuki didn't want to place Kitakami, Ooicchi, and the other Destroyers at risk by getting close enough for a torpedo attack. An air attack had a high probability of being ineffective as well though, so there were only 2 options Fubuki could think of.

1\. Use surface ships with long range weaponry to bombard the Abyssal battlecruiser.

2\. Use submarines to ambush the Abyssal undetected.

Option 1 wouldn't be very effective with only one battleship, and option 2 was out of the question. There were no submarines in the Naval District and none could be spared from other districts. So, that left a third option.

A tactical retreat.

Fubuki had ordered a 180* turn back to the District. The Abyssal followed them all the way back, keeping the enemy blind with the distance being generated between it and them; firing at them all along the way of corse. Kongo was right though, it was certainly a fast ship. Fast enough to keep up with them, and perhaps faster.

A short while ago, Nagato entered the briefing room and began to give the admiral's newest orders.

"According to what everyone has gathered, the ship you encountered was an Abyssal battlecruiser with phenomenal anti-air abilities, and likely with advanced radar equipment. We also think it's fair operating under the assumption the Abyssal is armed with 8 180mm guns. This is the first of this class of Abyssal we've encountered. There isn't even a name for it. So for now we're designating it Abyssal Battlecruiser(BC)-61."

"Do you think this was the ship stealing all our supplies?" Fubuki had asked.

"I'd say it's a strong possibility. We completed a more accurate list as to what and when supplies were taken." Nagato said looking at a sheet of paper. "Our thief appears to steal in intervals of 2 days. No supplies were taken last night after your encounter, so the battlecruiser you faced is being listed as our prime suspect."

"Do we have a plan to neutralize the enemy force?" Kaga asked. Nagato nodded in affirmative.

"The Admiral has requested that battleships Fuso and Yamashiro arrive here tomorrow from another district. They along with Hiei, Haruna, and Kirishima will be joining Mobile Unit 5 to increase our high caliber force. Also, for now, DD Group 6 will be merging with Mobile Unit 5 to provide additional escort."

"Uh, ma'am, is that all really necessary?" Zuikaku asked. "I mean, 5 battleships, 5 destroyers, 2 cruisers, and 2 carriers to sink one Abyssal? Isn't that a little... excessive?"

Nagato leaned forward on the podium. "There was only one tonight, but the Admiral believes that the single ship you encountered was just a test. It's not outside the realm of possibility that it will be back. This time with reinforcements. It's also possible that the ships you will encounter will be more of the BC-61 class."

"What about Kongo?" One the young DDs in the room asked.

"Our supply of Instant Repair Buckets has run low. The Admiral wants to save them for an emergency. Kongo will have to stay in the Docks for the time being." Nagato brought a pair of fingers to her brow.

"That's everything for now. You're all dismissed," she concluded with a sigh before walking out of the room.

Now everyone had left the room, all except for Fubuki. Mutsu, who had entered with Nagato, noticed this.

"Is something wrong Fubuki?" she asked concerned.

Fubuki jumped; pulled back to reality by Mutsu from being lost deep in thought. "I don't know," she started. "For some reason, I can't shake the feeling that something else is going on here. Like there's a big piece of the puzzle we're missing."

"Oh?" asked a perplexed Mutsu. What do you think that is?"

"I don't know," Fubuki said with a downgrade face on. "I don't know..."


	4. Chapter 3

4 days later

The night was dark without the moon's silver light; leaving only the stars to shine on the sea below. The brese was calm and cool, but it didn't help calm the nerves of one ship under the starry sky. Sailing south of the Naval District, the strengthened Mobile Unit 5 continued their pursuit for the Abyssal warship. They had engaged it once before, but the attack had come out unsuccessful.

As they sailed, Fubuki found her mind wondering.

Over the past few weeks she had arrived at the District, made friends, went to classes, trained hard to be useful again, was given command of her own fleet, and now that fleet had been greatly expanded. So many things had happened in such a short time; how had things changed so quickly? 5 battleships, 2 cruisers, 2 aircraft carriers, and if she included herself 5 destroyers. An impressive force, the shier possible firepower they were capable of was immense. If they couldn't deal with BC-61, there was no one on base that could.

That fact however did nothing to ease the pit in Fubuki's stomach. If anything, it only made the feeling worse. Why was that? They should have no problem, and yet it was the very fact that they were the best equipped that made her uneasy? She shook her head; now was not the time for this. They had a job to do, and she needed to do her part as the flagship.

"Listen up," she said to the fleet. "We're going to keep the Abyssal ahead of us, and force it toward the archipelago nearby. If we can do that, it'll force the Abyssal to slow down for tonight's lower visibility. We'll use that to close the distance. Kitakami, Ooichi, head south around the archipelago for an ambush at the Abyssal's right flank. DD Group 6 and I will ambush its left flank, while the battleships will divert the Abyssal's fire and attention away from us. Kaga, Zuikaku, I would like you two to provide reconosese in the surrounding area incase the ship sends for reinforcements. If all goes well, we should be able to win this without much of a problem."

Each of the ships acknowledged their orders and split away. The battleships came under fire soon after as the Abyssal opened up and the fleet girls continued with the plan. It wouldn't take long to box the Abyssal in, with the cruisers and destroyers being able to move further ahead without the slower battleships. As Fubuki got a distance away, she noticed the attacks came in voiles of 9 shells, not the presumed 8. This meant that the abyssal was likely armed with 3 triple torrents and not 4 double torrents.

She also noted that the shells would come down one at a time, one after the other in a stream of fire before it ended as the Abyssal reloaded. An interesting detail, but what did it mean? It did nothing to change the plan. They had a limited window of opportunity that they could not miss. If the ship slipped away now, it would be loose on the high seas and would become a major threat to expeditions.

By what the Kongo sisters had told Fubuki, battlecruisers were ideal for destroying lightly armed and armored fleets. They were fast, and armed with battleship guns. It meant that they could cause massive damage from a distance, and keep up with almost any escort. They needed to stop it here, now, while they had the chance.

It reminded her of a particular battle during the second world war in Europe. The battle of the Denmark Strait. Battleship Bismarck and Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen were to break into the Atlantic and raid the vital convoys coming from America. British warships HMS Hood and Prince of Wales had been sent to intercept them. Simply put, Hood had sunk and Prince of Wales had been badly damaged. If the British hadn't managed to track Bismarck down, and cripple it with an air attack, it would have become an even greater threat with the other 2 German battleships in occupied France. They could have possibly even forced Britain to collapse as the convoys came under worse attack.

With the Naval District facing a similar crisis, it went without saying that this Abyssal needed to be eliminated while they had the chance. They couldn't keep supplying this large of a force to patrol the coast every night. However they couldn't just let it steal and consume their supplies by not guarding the district. It had to be tonight, or that window could be closed forever.

Yet, why did something feel wrong to Fubuki?

She brushed it off once again. Now was not the time for worrying. She had a job to do, and an obligation to her fellow fleet girls. She was the flagship, and she had to concentrate on the mission at hand. They continued to sail closer, the guns of the Abyssal still blazing. They had been sailing with all their lights off, so it was very unlikely the Abyssal had seen them. For this stealth attack to work, it was necessary to not be seen. As they approached, Fubuki was able to make out something beyond the Abyssal's silhouette.

Looking at the Abyssal, it seemed different somehow from what Fubuki would have expected. Much of the more 'monsteress' elements that you would find on an average Abyssal seemed missing. But the paleness of its skin and the black covering parts of its body were still a dead giveaway. Yet...

Fubuki stopped that train of thought for the final time. This Abyssal was a threat, and it needed to be put down. Quietly, she signaled the other destroyers to begin their attack run. They nodded, and picked up speed to begin the torpedo attack.

18 kilometers.

The Abyssal had slowed down through the arcipelago like they planed. The Destroyers were moving at about 35 knots, closing the distance.

15 kilometers

The destroyers' torpedo tubes were loaded, type 93s ready to launch at with a single command. The strange feeling returned to Fubuki.

12 kilometers.

They were so close. Just a little closer and they would drop and run. The feeling continued to get worse the closer they got. It wouldn't stop her, she had sealed herself to this.

9 kilometers.

When they got close, smaller flashes from the Abyssal side lit up and columns of water shot into the air around the destroyers. "Secondary guns," Fubuki whispered. She estimated by the of fire rate and the power of each shell and that they were somewhere around 125-130mm guns.

7 kilometers

"Drop," she ordered quietly.

There was the sound of compressed air being released as dozens of torpedoes launched in a narrow spread; impacting the water and shooting off toward the target. Once they were clear, Fubuki ordered a turn away from the Abyssal to get away from its secondary fire.

As they sailed away, Fubuki heard a quiet buzz in the air above her. When she looked up, she was met with a hail of machine gun bullets. She screamed as the bullets made contact.

"Fubuki!"

She heard one of the other destroyers cry out her name, but couldn't make out which one as the plane screamed over her head. She brought her turret up to shoot the plane down, only for another to come at her from a different angle. She was strafed again. She screamed again.

She was quicker to recover this time, and opened fire on the enemy planes. Her shots missed, but it was enough to keep the planes away. The planes had climbed rapidly, far quicker than any of the planes she had seen before. Actually, now now that she was able to get a better look at the planes, she realized something. The planes were a dark blue with unnatural dark spots scattered across the aircraft. There was something wrong though, these planes had actual wings and a tail, propelled with piston engines and propellers.

These planes were launched from a fleet girl. Not only that, the floats fixed to the bottom of the planes indicated they hadn't been launched from a carrier. They had been launched from a ship equipped with a catapult. However, there weren't any ships out at sea with that equipment; and even if there were why would they attack another fleet~

Wait a minute. Could it be that~?

Fubuki's eyes widened as she came to a sudden realization. Her head spun toward the ship they had just fired their torpedoes at, and her eyes radiated in a look of horror.

"Oh God," she breathed. It was all she could say before the sound of multiple explosions sounded off. There was a scream, and the sound of water being thrown into the air; then a subtle groan.

Fubuki couldn't move, the realization of what just happened leaving her mind blank. The others in the group who had cheered when they heard the explosion, noticed their flagship horrified expression.

"Fubuki?" One of them asked with a concerned tone. "What is it?"

"A Fleet Girl," was her muted response.


	5. Chapter 4

"Fubuki to all members of the fleet, I'm calling off the attack. Do not engage the ship! I repeat! Do. Not. Engage!"

"Miss Fubuki; what do you mean you're 'calling off the attack'?" A confused Fuso replied, radio silence haven been broken anyway.

"I mean what I said!" Came the swift reply. "We've got the whole situation here wrong!"

Now the whole fleet was confused. They each glanced at each other before one of them let out her frustration.

"Dang it, Fubuki!" Zuikaku exclaimed. "What the heck is going on?!"

"It's a Fleet Girl!"

Zuikaku's mouth dried. "What?" She asked in wave of shock. It went dead quiet for a few seconds before she recovered. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not kidding here! This Abyssal we've been hunting down has been a Fleet Girl the whole time! We've been shooting at one of our own!"

The look of shock and horror was now shared by every member of the fleet. They looked at each other as if to ask if any of them had answers. Questions started to run through their heads. Who was this Fleet Girl? Why had she been shooting at them? Just what was going on?

"Who is it? What's her name?" Kitakami called from the other side of the islands.

"No clue." Fubuki replied. "I'm approaching now to get an idea."

Right after Fubuki said that however, she suddenly heard a groaning. The fleet girl was now on her hands and knees, shaking as she struggled to get up. One of her eyes locked onto Fubuki's, and a scowl of some sort appeared on her face. Fubuki gulped as she looked to the dark blue eye, noticing there was what almost looked like a star in the iris. The eye flared, and Fubuki soon felt the scowl on the Fleet Girl intensify.

The unnamed Fleet Girl shook with rage as she got back on her feet, and Fubuki quickly realized she was trying to bring one of her main guns to bear on her. The un-named Fleet Girl muttered something inaudible at Fubuki, and the turret finally locked onto her. Fubuki barely had enough time to dodge as 3 large high-velocity shells ripped through the air next to her. Before Fubuki could catch her breath however, the Fleet Girl screamed again. This time it was a fully audible sentence, and Fubuki's eyes widened when she recognized the language.

"Is that... English?" she whispered, her voice saturated with shock.

The Fleet Girl stretched a trembling hand toward the stunned destroyer, just holding it there for a moment, before finally passing out and falling over, the fight gone out of her. She hit the water with a hard 'crack' on her back, and the noise snapped Fubuki back to attention. She quickly approached the Fleet Girl, and began looking her over.

She quickly realized the reason this Fleet Girl was so pale. It was a mixture of blood loss and melo-nurishment. The black spots were from a mixture of muck and grime, rooting from a lack of proper maintenance and hygiene; to also spots of dried blood, oil, heavy bruising, and horrific burns.

Her uniform, what was left of it, was ratted and ripped apart, only leaving enough to let some of the poor girl's decency remain. It also mostly left her stripped of any easy identification, until Fubuki noticed something on the belt that adorned her waist. On the buckle was the image of 2 anchors crossed behind a shield. On that shield was 13 stripes.

Fubuki also noticed a number right above the Fleet Girl's showing abdomen. Gently flattening it out, she was able to make out the number, in all its boldness.

61.

Any doubt Fubuki had at that point was gone. This Fleet Girl spoke English, had a shield with 13 stripes adorning her buckle, and adorned one of the most recognized numbers in all of naval history. Considering the damage she had endured, this was no battlecruiser. She was a battleship; and no ordinary one at that. She had a name that all Japanese Fleet Girls still afloat after 1943 knew by heart.

"Iowa."


	6. Chapter 5

The next morning.

Nagato stood there, looking over the sleeping Fleet Girl in the docks. The Fleet Girl was still covered in bruises and burns, although the majority of the muck and grime had been cleaned off her body. She was still unconscious, melo-nourished; and her breathing was shallow. Nagato wasn't sure what to think about all this.

It went without saying she had questions. Why was a United States Fleet Girl now on the other side of the Pacific Ocean? Why was she stealing supplies? Why was she alone? What had happened to her fleet? And above all else, why was she HERE?

Nagato turned toward the door as she heard it open yet again. Yuubari entered the room and gave a salute. "Secretary Ship Nagato."

Nagato returned the salute. "Cruiser Yuubari. I assume you're here to examine her systems?"

"I'd love to, but her fairies are dead set on repelling borders. Then again, I don't really blame them. We were on opposite sides of the war." They were both silent for a moment, turning toward the unconscious foren battleship.

"Speaking of witch," Yuubari continued, "how did an American Fleet Girl get all the way over here? She'd have to be way off course; even if she was stationed somewhere like Midway Atoll, or Pearl Harbor. Those places are still half an ocean away."

"I can't even pretend to have an answer to that. We won't learn much until she wakes up; assuming she won't try to kill us," Nagato replied turning her attention back to the American.

"Is that why you're calling Kongo here?"

Nagato nodded.

"I feel someone who's at least smi-fluent in english should try to talk to her. If we're going to get answers, we need to start off slowly."

...

Pain. Agony. They were her. And she was them. They were her whole being. And she was all that was left.

She hadn't slept in so long, and the world felt blisteringly cold. She knew she had eaten, but when or how was beyond her. Only anger had kept her going.

She felt drained, she was a dozen steps below exhausted. She had bled before, and it felt like the blood she hadn't bled had been burned or caked inside of her.

A thousand moments passed in the blink of a eye. All she knew was pain, shoot, bleed, shoot, burn, shoot. This was her entire existence, she had sealed herself to this. To feel otherwise was impossible.

So why was most of that gone?

She opened her eyes and blinked. The lights above her blinded her for a moment, before she let her eyes adjust. For a moment, she just stayed there, floating; her mind blank, unable to process her surroundings.

It took a few moments, but she managed to rouse her body to giving into her demands. The walls were white, with what looked like a wooden doorway on one side. The ceiling had a glass dome above it, letting in sunlight. Hanging from that ceiling was an American flag. Something seemed off about it though. Then she noticed a subtle ticking behind her, she turned to it and saw a number that was slowly ticking down.

053:18:47

053:18:46

053:18:45

053:18:44

053:18:43

If how the Naval bases she used to be in were any indication, this was probably the time she had left in the docks. How long had she been in here? She couldn't remember very much, in fact she remembered almost nothing after-

Her body whirled around as she heard the door open. A woman with brown hair and eyes entered inside the steamy room. She wore a simple gray uniform, but it didn't appear to have any markings on it. Weird. Iowa noted this woman also had an antenna-headband on her head. A fleet girl of some kind?

"Good afternoon love, jolly good to see you awake," the woman said cheerfully. Was that a British accent? Iowa's eyes narrowed slightly. This fleet girl did not have a standard British appearance. Her accent was tainted with something; like she was trying just a bit too hard to make it sound extra posh. Iowa glanced back up at the American flag hanging from the ceiling, finally being awake enough to see what the problem with it was. She turned back to the 'Fleet Girl'.

"Where am I?" She had said it flatley, secretly glad that all those poker nights with Texas were paying off. The 'Fleet Girl' seemed to brighten up, apparently glad that Iowa was able to speak.

"You're in a US Naval Base in the Phil-"

"Don't lie to me."

The 'Fleet Girl' blinked. For a brief second her face changed from surprise, to shock, to that fake cheerful smile again. "W-What are you on about?" she tried, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. Iowa motioned for her to come to her. The 'Fleet Girl' hesitantly, but reluctantly, complied.

She got to the edge of the bath, and Iowa motioned her to lean down. As soon as she did, Iowa grabbed her, pulling her into the bath. Before the 'Fleet Girl' could do anything, she felt one of Iowa's hands wrap around her neck. She tried and failed to get Iowa to release her, only for Iowa to squeeze tighter.

"Listen here, Abyssal scum," Iowa whispered to the 'Fleet Girl'. "Piece of advice, if you're trying to make this place look like a US Naval Base, don't use a national flag America hasn't used since the 1950's."

"W-What?" she asked, fear obvious in her voice.

"The American flag has one star for every state. That flag has 48 stars, last time I checked there were 50 states." Iowa squeezed just a bit harder, and in a few seconds the 'Fleet Girl' was unconscious.

Sitting her down in the bath, Iowa put her hands on the rim of the bath and pushed up. As soon as she got out of the water however, she felt the pain quickly return. She doubled over, clutching her naked body.

The fluid inside of the Shipgirl docks is not just warm water. It's laced with chemicals that react with Shipgirl physiology. It acts as a painkiller, while simultaneously accelerating regeneration. A badly damaged Shipgirl who leaves the docks without a complete repair runs the risk of farther damage.

Iowa would have to take that chance.

It took a moment, but she finally got used to the pain again. She walked over to the exit, and quickly found a selection of towels. Tearing a few length-wise, she made a temporary skirt and bra.

"Not much, but better than nothing."

Wincing from a spasm through her body, she opened the door and walked out. She leaned against the wall and used it for support as she headed for the exit. As she reached for the door, it suddenly opened.


	7. Chapter 6

It was early morning when Nagato reached the door to the district's docks, she had expected to wait for Kongo to slowly break the situation to Iowa. She didn't expect to hear a moan of pain from beyond the door, and most certainly did not expect a badly wounded Iowa to be standing there when she opened the door; her hand reaching for the handle.

Their eyes locked for a moment, both had mutual looks of surprise, shock, and confusion; neither having expected the other to be there. For a short time, neither knew what to do or how to react. Iowa recovered first, still believing she was in an Abyssal base. She bull-charged Nagato, slamming her elbow into Nagato's abdomen. The move knocked the air out of Nagato's boilers, and she fell to her knees. The 32,200 ton dreadknot feeling the full force of a 45,000 ton fast battleship impact her.

Iowa was about to run off, but didn't get far as Nagato managed to grab one of her ankles. She fell forwards, barely avoiding landing on her face. Iowa spun onto her back and kicked Nagato in the face, disorienting her enough to get her to let go. Iowa stood up, quickly realizing she couldn't let this Abyssal come after her. She was in no position to run, one of her screws was out, and she was down 3 boilers. She had also left the docks before she was ready, but she had no clue how Abyssal physiology would affect her; she didn't know if staying in that bath could turn her into one of them. And she should have known they would send more than one of them to guard her. Now the other had come.

She would have to fight, while she still had the chance to do so.

Nagato stood up, squaring off against Iowa. The American threw the first punch; Nagato blocked it with her hand, and pulled Iowa's arm away from them to the side. Iowa tried to punch with her other fist, only for it to be blocked in the same way. Not giving Iowa a chance to think, Nagato kicked her between the abdomen and the chest, killing another one of her boilers. and causing a huge mass of pain . Iowa went sprawling on the ground, the kick causing a huge mass of pain to shoot through her. She landed on her back, down but not out. While on the ground she kicked Nagato's leg out, causing her to fall on her side.

"Nagato-san!" Iowa heard an adolescent voice calling out. She only glanced for a moment, but managed to observe more than one fast approaching her. She couldn't fight anyone else off. She rushed to her feet, as fast as she could, and tried to run before she got overwhelmed. Behind her, she heard a deep commanding voice call out to someone. Possibly, the voice was the Abyssal that she had just knocked down. It seemed to match.

Iowa wouldn't have dweld on it, if she hadn't been suddenly shot.

She barely was able to understand what happened. She heard a shot from a low caliber deck cannon, and then a searing pain ripped through her back... well, it was more a WORSE searing pain ripped through her back. It knocked her forward on her face, and she skidded on the ground. She grit her teeth as she tried to get up. There wasn't a single part of her body that didn't hurt now.

She was about to get up on her knees, only to hear the sound of a gun lock in front of her. She looked up, and was met with the duel 127mm berreles. There was a flash for a moment, then nothing but pitch black.


End file.
